Beer Tasting Event Held Aboard JetBlue Flight to Denver

Drinking alcohol on a domestic flight is typically reserved for first-class passengers or those willing to give an arm and a leg for a coach-class libation. But in October, JetBlue offered a seasonal special for passengers on board a select flight from New York’s JFK International Airport to Denver (DEN).

Travelers who booked a seat onboard Flight 97 on Oct. 5 shared the cabin space with the president and one of the founders of Samuel Adams: Jim Koch. As such, they were treated to an in-flight beer tasting of the company’s traditional Oktoberfest beer as well as two new blends, served to each passenger on a wooden tray.

The beer tasting commenced approximately one hour into the flight and included the flight of three beers plus complimentary gift bags that included a tasting paddle, similar to the ones from which imbibers were sampling the beer in flight. Passengers also received a paddle opener, an Oktoberfest hat and a book by Jim Koch (Quench Your Own Thirst: Business Lessons Learned Over a Beer or Two).

Named “FlytoberFest,” this one-time experience was one of the opening events to kick off the Great American Beer Festival in Colorado Oct. 5–7.